Phil Mickelson on the 1st during the third round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Gullane. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

East Lothian finally provided the testing conditions players had sought when choosing to play in the Scottish Open as the immediate precursor to the Open Championship. Recent history suggests that planning is wise. The last four winners of the Claret Jug have featured on one of the European Tour’s most prominent events on the previous weekend. Golfers take note of such trends.

Phil Mickelson is one of that group, having triumphed at Castle Stuart in 2013 and proceeded to win the Open for the first time, at Muirfield. Mickelson had bemoaned his putting struggles during days one and two this time around but was more content on Saturdayyesterday, despite a level par 70 providing his worst score of the tournament. It was also noticeably calm; Mickelson’s round over the links at Gullane featured 16 pars.

“I had a nice day,” he said. “And my putting was much improved on the first two days. That was pleasing, especially as the wind was blowing more than it has been. So it was a good test. I didn’t really do much wrong, but I didn’t really do much great either.

“One birdie and one bogey is not exactly what I’m known for. But my ball striking wasn’t as good as it’s been. That was the big reason why I didn’t make many birdies. I was never really close enough to give me a chance to make that happen. I was making putts for pars. This has been great preparation for next week’s Open at St Andrews, though.”

At three under, Mickelson almost certainly will not win. Yet there is still hope of a high-profile winner, with Rickie Fowler once again endorsing his love for the links. Fowler carded 66 for a 10 under aggregate. In what is a tightly-packed leaderboard, a sprint finish looks inevitable.

The most striking round of the day came from the Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin, who signed for a 64, defying testing conditions. At 11 under, Jacquelin has not dropped a shot in his last 27 holes here. Going into the final day, he is one behind the leader, Basildon’s Daniel Brooks.

There remains hope of a home winner, with the Florida-based Scot Russell Knox carding 66 to move to nine under par. Knox is seeking to round off one of his better weeks, after earning an Open Championship place from first reserve because of Rory McIlroy’s enforced withdrawal. “This means everything,” Knox said. “Golf is hard. We all know that. In this game, to be a pro is a dream come true and getting to play in my home Open is unbelievable. To play well is just a huge bonus.

“Growing up and playing links golf, I can cut it through the wind pretty easily. So just a little more breeze really benefits me.”

There was a strange tale of woe for the highly-rated American Ryder Cup player Jimmy Walker, though. Walker collapsed completely in returning a round of 78. He had opened the tournament with a 65. The young Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick matched Walker’s dismal score, having started promisingly with back-to-back 67s.